Patent Application
20170217641
Not Applicable.
Various types of packaging for products are well known in the art. In particular, flexible pouches are currently used in the packaging of a wide variety of food and beverage products. Flexible pouches for food and beverage products are frequently marketed for use by infants and children because the pouches are convenient and inexpensive. However, flexible pouches contain a fixed volume, and a parent may wish the child to eat only a portion of that volume. For example, a pouch may contain twelve fluid ounces while a child may need to eat only six fluid ounces. In some cases, the parents would like to encourage their child to eat a puree, for example, independently from a pouch, but would like to control the portion of puree exposed. Additionally, it may be difficult for the child to remove the second six ounces from the pouch. In these cases the parent may feel the need to remove the desired volume from the pouch to another container.
In general, while flexible pouches are often convenient, there are some drawbacks to their use. The flexible pouches can be difficult to evacuate, they are not readily portioned, and they often collapse before the entire contained product is evacuated, making complete evacuation difficult.
To this end, a need exists for a flexible pouch that can be voluntarily partitioned and easily evacuated. It is to such pouches, packaged products, and method of forming the same that the inventive concepts disclosed herein are directed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more implementations described herein and, together with the description, explain these implementations. The drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale, and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated, to scale or in schematic in the interest of clarity and conciseness. Not every component may be labeled in every drawing. Like reference numerals in the figures may represent and refer to the same or similar element or function. In the drawings:
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) in detail, it is to be understood that the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components or steps or methodologies set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Unless otherwise defined herein, technical terms used in connection with the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) shall have the meanings that are commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Further, unless otherwise required by context, singular terms shall include pluralities and plural terms shall include the singular.
All of the articles and/or methods disclosed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the articles and methods of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the articles and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit, and scope of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s). All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s).
As utilized in accordance with the present disclosure, the following terms, unless otherwise indicated, shall be understood to have the following meanings:
The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one”, but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more,” “at least one,” and “one or more than one.” The use of the term “or” in the claims is used to mean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or that the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and “and/or.” Throughout this application, the term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for the device, the method being employed to determine the value, or the variation that exists among the study subjects. For example, but not by way of limitation, when the term “about” is utilized, the designated value may vary by plus or minus twelve percent, or eleven percent, or ten percent, or nine percent, or eight percent, or seven percent, or six percent, or five percent, or four percent, or three percent, or two percent, or one percent. The use of the term “at least one of X, Y, and Z” will be understood to include X alone, Y alone, and Z alone, as well as any combination of X, Y, and Z. The use of ordinal number terminology (i.e., “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc.) is solely for the purpose of differentiating between two or more items and is not meant to imply any sequence or order or importance to one item over another or any order of addition, for example.
As used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “includes” and “include”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as “contains” and “contain”) are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.
The term “or combinations thereof” as used herein refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term. For example, “A, B, C, or combinations thereof” is intended to include at least one of: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and if order is important in a particular context, also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB. Continuing with this example, expressly included are combinations that contain repeats of one or more item or term, such as BB, AAA, AAB, BBC, AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, and so forth. The skilled artisan will understand that typically there is no limit on the number of items or terms in any combination, unless otherwise apparent from the context.
As used herein, the term “substantially” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance completely occurs or that the subsequently described event or circumstance occurs to a great extent or degree. For example, when associated with a particular event or circumstance, the term “substantially” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance occurs at least 80% of the time, or at least 85% of the time, or at least 90% of the time, or at least 95% of the time. The term “substantially adjacent” may mean that two items are 100% adjacent to one another, or that the two items are within close proximity to one another but not 100% adjacent to one another, or that a portion of one of the two items is not 100% adjacent to the other item but is within close proximity to the other item.
The term “associate” as used herein will be understood to refer to the direct or indirect connection of two or more items.
Turning now to the presently disclosed inventive concept(s), certain embodiments thereof are directed to a flexible pouch containing a zipper that is added internally to a middle or central portion of the pouch. Other embodiments are directed to a flexible pouch having a rigid plastic tape that is added internally to the middle or central portion of the pouch. Certain other embodiments of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) are directed to packaged products produced using such flexible pouches and kits and assemblies containing such flexible pouches, while other additional embodiments are directed to methods of production and use of the above flexible pouches, packaged products, kits, and/or assemblies.
The presently disclosed inventive concept(s) possesses many benefits over the prior art. First, the flexible pouches disclosed or otherwise contemplated herein aid in product evacuation by maintaining a bowed open configuration when open. In addition, the flexible pouches disclosed or otherwise contemplated herein allow a user to partition the product contained therein. For example, the pouch can be portioned by zipping a portion of the product in the bottom so that only part of the product is able to be consumed. Alternatively, the product can be pushed to the top and the zipper closed to keep the product within the top portion while additionally helping with evacuation. Therefore, the flexible pouches disclosed or otherwise contemplated herein provide a more versatile and useable product container while still maintaining the low production costs of a pouch. Certain embodiments of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) will be described herein below with reference to the Drawings.
Referring now to
The main pouch body 12 may be formed of any materials known in the art or otherwise contemplated by a person having ordinary skill in the art may be utilized in the construction of the flexible pouch 10, so long as the flexible pouch 10 is capable of functioning in accordance with the presently disclosed inventive concept(s). In addition, the first and second face members 16 and 18, respectively, may each be formed of the same or separate materials. Each of these materials may include a single layer of material or a plurality of the same or different layers of material; when multiple layers are present, they may be laminated or co-extruded or otherwise combined.
For example, but not by way of limitation, at least a portion of the inner surface 30 of the first face member 16 may be formed of a first material, while at least a portion of an outer surface of the first face member 16 may be formed of a second material (which may be the same or different from the first material). Examples of materials that may be utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) include, but are not limited to, nylon; foil; a polyester (including, but not limited to, an oriented polyester, such as oriented or biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate (PET)); a polyolefin, such as but not limited to, polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) (including, but not limited to, low density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE)); ethyl vinyl alcohol (EVOH) and EVOH copolymers; combinations, laminates, and/or extrusions of any of the above; and the like. However, other materials that may be used in the construction of flexible pouches are well known in the art and can easily be contemplated by a person having ordinary skill in the art, and therefore these materials also fall within the scope of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s).
In particular non-limiting examples, the flexible pouch 10 may be formed of a polymeric material, such as but not limited to, a polymeric material that is Bisphenol A (BPA)-free and/or a polymeric material that is recyclable and/or renewable. In addition, the material(s) from which the flexible pouch 10 is constructed may be gas permeable and/or gas impervious, depending on the product(s) to be packaged in the flexible pouch 10. Further, the materials from which the flexible pouch 10 is constructed may also have one or more coatings/lacquers applied thereto, based on the type of product(s) to be packaged in the flexible pouch 10. For example, but not by way of limitation, the materials may be provided with a liquid-resistant/liquid-proof coating, a gas impervious coating, an insulated coating, and/or other type of coating that increases the shelf-life of the product packaged within the flexible pouch 10.
In one embodiment, the internal zipper 14 is positioned to divide the flexible pouch, or contents thereof, into two substantially equal volumes as shown in
In another embodiment, the flexible pouch 10 includes two adjacent internal zippers 14 positioned to divide the flexible pouch, or contents thereof, into two substantially equal volumes. The second adjacent zipper is present to ensure complete closure.
In yet another embodiment, the flexible pouch 10 includes two or more internal zippers 14, wherein the internal zippers 14 are located to divide the contents into substantially equal volumes. For example, the flexible pouch 10 shown in
In one embodiment, the internal zipper(s) is positioned within a central area 28 of the inner surfaces 30 and 32 defined as the area from the first side 24 to the second side 26 and between 20% and 80% of the face length 34. In another embodiment, the internal zipper(s) is positioned from the first side 24 to the second side 26 between 25% and 75% of the face length 34. In yet another embodiment, the internal zipper(s) is positioned from the first side 24 to the second side 26 between 30% and 70% of the face length 34.
The internal zipper 14 can add structure to the pouch 10 and help with bowing the pouch 10 open thereby allowing for easier evacuation of product contained therein. In one embodiment, the internal zipper 14 is rigid enough to hold the flexible pouch 10 open but flexible enough to allow the pouch 10 to be fully evacuated when the appropriate amount of suction is applied or when the internal zipper 14 is closed. The internal zipper 14 can be used to seal off the bottom half of the pouch (with the product) so that a child, for example, is able to consume only a portion of the pouch contents. The consumer can also push the product to the top and close the internal zipper 14 to keep the product at the top. This also allows for easier evacuation of the product.
Current flexible pouches collapse on themselves when the product is removed using suction such as with a straw. This can make it difficult to get product out without pushing product from the bottom. Thus, the zipper can offer additional structure and keep the pouch from collapsing before all the product is removed.
In certain embodiments, the internal zipper 14 can be structured to function as a press-to-close zipper, or as other zipper designs known in the art or to be developed, but modified to have sufficient rigidity to achieve the aforementioned benefits. In one embodiment, two curved pieces of plastic, or curved zipper tape 40, with mating pieces of zipper features can be mounted to the first and second opposing face member inner surfaces 30 and 32, respectively. When opened, the curved zipper tape 40 adds structure and naturally keeps the flexible pouch 10 distended. When closed, the internal zipper 14 counteracts the natural bow of the curved zipper tape 40.
In one embodiment, the zipper tape 40 is formed of a pliable but substantially non-malleable material. In this manner, the zipper tape 40 possesses a memory feature that allows the zipper tape 40 to be moveable when applying pressure to close the zipper; however, the zipper tape 40 assumes its original bowed shape upon opening of the internal zipper 14, biasing the first and second opposing face members 16 and 18, respectively, away from one another.
The zipper tape 40 may be formed of any material that is of sufficient rigidity to be pliable but substantially non-malleable; that is, the material must be capable of substantially retaining its original shape while having a certain amount of movement/bendability in response to pressure applied thereto, but wherein the material returns to its original shape, with substantially no indentations or folds formed therein, upon release of the pressure or opening of the internal zipper 14. In particular, non-limiting embodiments, the material from which the zipper tape is formed may be rigid. In other, non-limiting embodiments, the material may be a smart material.
In certain embodiments as shown in
In embodiments as shown in
In one embodiment, the bottom 22 of the flexible pouch 10 has a gusset 50 formed therein. Opposing side edges 52 of the first and second face members 16 and 18, respectively, are connected to one another and peripherally sealed, while lower edges 54 of the first and second face members 16 and 18, respectively, are connected to the gusset 50 at the bottom 22 of the flexible pouch, substantially along the widths thereof. While
In one embodiment, the flexible pouch 10 is an upstanding flexible pouch that is capable of being disposed in an upright, vertical orientation and remaining so oriented by virtue of the structure of the flexible pouch 10 (and/or any product disposed thereon) when a gusseted bottom 22 of the flexible pouch 10 is in an expanded condition; however, in alternative embodiments, a flexible pouch may assume other configurations, as will be evident to a person of ordinary skill in the art, given the disclosure provided herein as well as knowledge available in the art. Thus, these alternative embodiments also fall within the scope of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s), so long as the flexible pouch is capable of functioning as described or otherwise contemplated herein.
In another non-limiting example, the flexible pouch is an upstanding, squeezable flexible pouch. In use, a lower volume 56, between the bottom 22 and the internal zipper 14, can be evacuated by opening the internal zipper (if closed) and squeezing the contents therein into an upper volume 58 between the internal zipper 14 and the top 20. The lower volume 56 can be made to remain evacuated by then closing the internal zipper 14 as shown in
Similarly, the content in the lower volume 56 can be separated by closing the internal zipper 14 prior to evacuation of the upper volume 58. The resulting partitioned flexible pouch is shown in
The flexible pouch 10 may be formed in any manner known in the art or otherwise contemplated by a person having ordinary skill in the art, so long as the flexible pouch 10 can function in accordance with the presently disclosed inventive concept(s). The internal zipper 14 and zipper tape 40 may be attached or otherwise associated with the inner surfaces 30 and 32 of the first and second face members 16 and 18, respectively, by any methods known in the art or otherwise contemplated by a person having ordinary skill in the art. For example, but not by way of limitation, the zipper tape 40 may be attached via a bonding material. The term “bonding material” as used herein will be understood to refer to any material that is sufficient to connect two elements to one another; in particular, the term “bonding material” will be understood to refer to any material that is sufficient to connect the zipper tape 40 to an internal surface of a flexible pouch. Examples of bonding materials include, but are not limited to, adhesives (including, but not limited to, pressure-sensitive adhesives and cold seal adhesives), cohesives, adhesive/cohesive combinations, heat sealable materials (such as, but not limited to, heat sealing lacquers or hot melt materials), sonically sealable materials (including, but not limited to, ultrasonically sealable materials), vibratory sealable materials, combinations thereof, and the like. Methods of forming flexible pouches are well known in the art and are well within the knowledge of a person having ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, no further description on the production methods that may be employed is deemed necessary.
The flexible pouch 10 may further include one or more colors, designs, and/or patterns disposed on at least a portion thereof. The color(s), design(s), and/or pattern(s) may include, for example but not by way of limitation, packaging and/or labeling information (including, but not limited to, “use by” dates and/or batch codes), instructions for use, promotional material, company information, logos/trademarks, combinations thereof, and the like. The color(s), design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be disposed on the flexible pouch 10 (and/or the material from which the flexible pouch 10 is formed) by any method known in the art, including but not limited to, printing, etching, embossing, texturing, coating, lacquering, application during extrusion, and the like. The color(s), design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be applied separately or simultaneously and/or may be characterized totally or partially by pearlescent, translucent, transparent, iridescent, or other similar qualities. Each of the above-named characteristics may occur alone or in combination and may be applied to a portion of the flexible pouch 10 and/or the material from which the flexible pouch 10 is formed.
The method may further include the step of disposing a predetermined quantity of a product within the flexible pouch and releasably sealing the product therewithin. Any type of product(s) may be disposed within the flexible pouch, so long as the pouch is capable of functioning as disclosed and/or otherwise contemplated herein. The product(s) may be shelf-stable, or the product(s) may be perishable and thus require refrigerated and/or frozen storage conditions. In addition, the product may be in a solid, semi-solid, semi-liquid, liquid, and/or gaseous form. For example, but not by way of limitation, the product may be selected from the group consisting of baby food, juice, fruit and/or vegetable purees, beverages (milk, coffee, flavored drinks, etc.), beverage concentrate and/or drink mix, other liquid products (i.e., oils, salad dressings, sauces, marinades, vinegar, etc.), condiments (i.e., ketchup, mustard, relish, honey, butter, etc.), granulated products (spices, seeds, grains, etc.), processed meat and/or poultry, pet food, pet treats, pet supplies, refrigerated/frozen foods, dairy products, candy and confectionary items, baking supplies, puddings, creams, vegetables, fruit, vegetable and/or fruit-based products (i.e., applesauce), health food products, baked goods, dried fruits and/or nuts, snack foods, breakfast foods (cereal, oatmeal, granola, etc.), cleaning and other household supplies, health and beauty products (i.e., cosmetics, creams, lotions, shampoo/conditioner, soaps and washes, oils, mouthwashes, etc.), pharmaceutical products, and combinations thereof.
The method may further include one or more of the following steps: forming or attaching a zipper across the top of the flexible pouch, releasably attaching a cap to the opening in the upper end of the flexible pouch; attaching a device that allows the opening in the upper end of the flexible pouch to be resealed; and/or attaching at least one dispensing device to the opening in the upper end of the flexible pouch.
In addition, other methods of producing flexible pouches of the prior art (i.e., without an internal zipper or internal zipper tape) are well known in the art. In addition, methods of attaching zippers and material similar to the zipper and zipper tape material (as disclosed or otherwise contemplated herein) to a material are also well known in the art. Therefore, any method of producing a flexible pouch (as disclosed or otherwise contemplated herein) that is within the skill of a person of ordinary skill in the art also falls within the scope of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s).
Certain embodiments of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) are directed to a packaged product that includes any of the flexible pouches described or otherwise contemplated herein, along with a product disposed within the receiving space of the flexible pouch. In particular embodiments, a predetermined quantity of a product may be disposed within the receiving space and sealed within the flexible pouch.
Another embodiment of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is directed to a method of producing a packaged product as described herein above. In the method, a premeasured quantity of a product is disposed within the receiving space of any of the flexible pouches described or otherwise contemplated herein and sealed therewithin.
Another embodiment of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is directed to a kit containing at least one of the packaged products described herein above (i.e., a flexible pouch containing at least one product disposed therein). A kit may include one or more packaged products, such as but not limited to, two or more packaged products, three or more packaged products, four or more packaged products, five or more packaged products, six or more packaged products, seven or more packaged products, eight or more packaged products, nine or more packaged products, ten or more packaged products, eleven or more packaged products, twelve or more packaged products, thirteen or more packaged products, fourteen or more packaged products, fifteen or more packaged products, sixteen or more packaged products, seventeen or more packaged products, eighteen or more packaged products, nineteen or more packaged products, twenty or more packaged products, and the like. Each flexible pouch present in the kit may be the same, or the kit may contain two or more different types/sizes of flexible pouches. In addition, each product packaged in the flexible pouches may be the same, or the kit may contain two or more different products.
The kits of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) may further include a display unit on which at least a portion of the packaged product(s)/kit(s) may be disposed and thereby displayed. Display units are well known in the art, and therefore no further discussion thereof is deemed necessary.
The kits of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) may further include one or more sets of instructions. The instructions may explain how to use the kit(s) for display of the packaged product(s) present therein and/or how to produce a display assembly that includes one or more packaged product(s) of the kit(s) disposed on a display unit. Any type of format capable of conveying the desired information (and/or directing a user's attention to a location where said information can be found) may be utilized as the instructions described or otherwise contemplated herein. Non-limiting examples of formats in which the instructions may be provided include written wording and/or pictorial drawings, hardware, software, a website address, a bar code (such as but not limited to, a QR code) that is readable by an imaging device/code reader, combinations thereof, and the like. The instructions may contain static information, or the instructions may be in an interactive form.
Another embodiment of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is directed to an assembly. The assembly includes one or more of any of the packaged products disclosed or otherwise contemplated herein (and/or one or more of the kits containing same) and a display unit on which at least a portion of the packaged product(s)/kit(s) is disposed and thereby displayed.
In particular embodiments of the kits and assemblies of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s), the plurality of packaged product(s) are further defined as a range of food and/or beverage products, each being disposed in a flexible pouch constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed inventive concept(s). The range includes a plurality of different products disposed in flexible pouches that are produced as described herein above. The range may include a plurality of individual products and/or a plurality of kits containing the individual products. The plurality of products may differ in the types of food disposed therein. Alternatively and/or in addition thereto, the plurality of products may differ in the age range/stage to which they are directed. For example, but not by way of limitation, US Published Application No. US2010/0255114, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, discloses a range of shelf-stable baby food products for meeting the nutritional needs of an infant/child at a specific stage of infant development; these stages include Stage 1 (from about 4 months to about 6 months), Stage 2 (from about 6 months to about 8 months), Stage 3 (from about 8 months to about 12 months), and Stage 4 (from about 12 months to about 36 months). Thus, the plurality of products in the range may include a combination of foods directed to two or more of Stages 1-4 listed above.
Yet another further embodiment of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is directed to a method of providing a range of food and/or beverage products, each being disposed in a flexible pouch constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed inventive concept(s). The range may include a plurality of individual packaged products and/or a plurality of kits containing the individual packaged products. In the method, a range that includes a plurality of different food and/or beverage products, each being disposed in a flexible pouch and produced as described in detail herein above, are provided. At least two of the products present in the plurality of different products differ from one another in the types of food and/or beverage products provided and/or the age range/stage to which the products are directed. The range of food and/or beverage products in the flexible pouches constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is displayed for perusal by consumers, so that a consumer can select one or more products from the range. The range of products is displayed with a desired visual appearance based upon the structures of the flexible pouches, which provide greater stability when in the upright position.
The combinations of any of the method steps described herein above may be performed simultaneously or wholly or partially sequentially. In addition, the exemplary sequences of method steps provided herein above are for the purposes of illustration only; it will be understood that the individual steps, as well as the particular order of steps, may vary, and the sequence of steps may be performed in any order, so long as the materials and packages described herein are capable of functioning in accordance with the presently disclosed inventive concept(s).
Thus, in accordance with the presently disclosed inventive concept(s), there has been provided flexible pouches, packaged products and kits formed therefrom, as well as methods of producing and using the same, that fully satisfy the advantages set forth herein above. Although the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) has been described in conjunction with the specific language set forth herein above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s). Changes may be made in the construction and the operation of the various components, elements, and assemblies described herein, as well as in the steps or the sequence of steps of the methods described herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the presently disclosed inventive concept(s).
The subject application claims benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 62/289,527, filed Feb. 1, 2016; the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62289527 | Feb 2016 | US |
